WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Twister
Genre:Action Adventure

Reviewed In Issue 21 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes & Jami Gertz

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 4.5
Sound Rating: 5
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number): 20102
(MPAA Rating): PG13
(Retail Price): $49.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 113
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1996
(LD Release Date): 10/1/96
(THX® Digitally Mastered):

Credits Information
(Director): Jan De Bont
(Screenplay/Written By): Michael Crichton & Anne-Marie Martin
(Story): NA
(Music): Mark Mancina
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Joseph Nemec, III
(Visual Effects): Industrial Light & Magic
(Costume Designer): Ellen Mirojnick
(Editor): Michael Kahn, ACE
(Supervising Sound Editors): Stephen Hunter Flick
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): Stephen Spielberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald & Gerald R. Mollen
(Co-Producers): NA
(Producers): Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce & Michael Crichton

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Panavision
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.39:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Digital
(Theatrical Sound): DTS, SDDS & Dolby Digital
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital):
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Twister delivers a swirling, hard-hitting, tornado chasing adventure that is one of the most exciting and thrilling motion pictures to have been produced. The story is about two scientists, played by Hunt and Paxton, pursuing the most destructive weather front to sweep through mid-America in over a decade.

LaserDisc Picture:
The THX®-quality assured picture is presented at 2.35:1. Picture quality on the CAV edition is exemplary in every visual aspect, except that fleshtones are rendered with a slight orangish hue. Images, however are always sharp and detailed. The CLV edition is identical in appearance except that slight noise is evident throughout, especially in the darker scenes. The photo-realistic tornado sequences are awe-inspiring.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The sound design is absolutely incredible and delivers a deep growling rumbling that puts you both in the tornado’s path and inside. This unbelievable soundtrack was created using 20-bit 4-and 8-channel discrete digital field recordings to create the enveloping holophonic wind roars and tornado sounds. While both the 5.1 discrete digital and matrix versions are stupendous, the Dolby® Digital has a deeper bass presence overall due to the added .1 effects, with up to 120dB bass levels that are thunderous and deep to below 25Hz, even in the surrounds. The spatial effects are extremely directionalize and create a wonderful enveloping soundfield. Loud thunder, lightning, hail, pounding rain, swirling debris, fire balls and vehicle sounds, even cows circling around and overhead creaking fixtures are effectively panned within the aggressively surrounding soundfield for ambiance delineation that is exemplary. A terrific music score complements and is rendered wider in discrete with excellent depth and imaging. While the Dolby Digital version consistently performed better than the ProLogic® decoded version as a spatial experience, both versions are sure pleasers.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
(Aggressive System Surround):
(Intense 25Hz Bass):
(Deep Bass Challenging):
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield):
(Aggressive Split Surround):
(Center Back Surround Imaging):
(Directionalized Dialogue):
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: